Climbing Roses are especially versatile and look beautiful in any landscape. You will find a hundred different ways to include them in your garden – along a fence, climbing poles, pillars, trellises and arches or even climbing along the side of a house.

Planting & CareClimbers differ from ramblers as they flower on this year’s new growth. They should be pruned in the spring down to the height you require, plus remove any dead wood. This will promote new growth for this year’s flowers. After three or four years, start removing the old stems (one per year) down towards the bottom of the rose, this promotes new growth lower down, so you get flowers all along the plant and not just at the top.

Sunlight: Climbing roses need at least six to eight hours of sunlight each day to bloom and perform well. In shaded areas, roses tend to bloom less than roses in sunny sites, and they tend to become tall and spindly. They also may be more susceptible to disease and pest problems when they are in shade. Morning sunlight is especially important because it dries leaves quickly, reducing the risk of fungal diseases.

Soil: Well-draining soil that is rich in nutrients.

Water: Water them at least once or twice each week so their soil remains slightly moist 1 inch beneath the surface.

Fertilizer: Roses also need regular fertilizer applications. Apply 1/2 cup of rose fertilizer every six weeks beginning in early spring, or according to the fertilizer package s directions. Fertilizer applications should stop six weeks before cold weather is expected.

Care:

Mulching and Weed Control
Mulch is very important for roses.

While it keeps weeds down, its primary value is to inhibit water evaporation from the soil.

Mulch will help maintain soil moisture levels, keeping the soil cooler in the summer when roses are more vulnerable to heat stress.

A thick organic mulch freshly spread under the bushes in early spring while the plant is still dormant also reduces fungal disease problems, since fungal spores are often deposited on rose leaves by splashing rain bouncing up off infected soil.

Spread two to four inches of some attractive organic material on the soil around the base of each rose bush in the late winter, at least a month before expected last frost.

Although the soil around the roses will warm up more slowly, fungal disease problems will be forestalled.

The new landscape fabric makes an excellent first layer for mulching around a rose plant.

Lay the textile material on the soil first, then cover it with the organic material for a more attractive look.

Keep the textile and the organic mulch about two inches away from the main stem of the bushes.

Basic Pruning
Prune yearly for healthier, more manageable growth and bigger, better flowers
by Andrew Schulman of Fine Gardening Magazine
It s best not to procrastinate when it comes to pruning climbing roses.

Whether climbing roses are grown on a wall, fence, trellis, post, or pillar, I recommend pruning them every year not only to keep your climbers from overwhelming their supports but also to spare you the frustration of dealing with an overgrown snare of canes.